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Many people find that surgery provides effective relief from their painful sciatica symptoms. The type of surgery that is recommended can vary considerably and will depend on the underlying cause of sciatica. Having surgery for sciatica is typically elective, which means it is the patient's decision whether or not to have surgery.

References

• 1.Arts MP, Peul WC; Leiden-Hague Spine Intervention Prognostic Study Group. Timing and minimal access surgery for sciatica: a summary of two randomized trials. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2011;153(5):967–974. doi:10.1007/s00701-011-0983-8
• 2.Jacobs WC, van Tulder M, Arts M, et al. Surgery versus conservative management of sciatica due to a lumbar herniated disc: a systematic review. Eur Spine J. 2011;20(4):513–522. doi:10.1007/s00586-010-1603-7
• 3.Kumar, M. Epidemiology, pathophysiology and symptomatic treatment of sciatica: A review. nt. J. Pharm. Bio. Arch. 2011, 2. Gugliotta M, da Costa BR, Dabis E, et al. Surgical versus conservative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2016;6(12):e012938. Published 2016 Dec 21. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012938
• 4.Gugliotta M, da Costa BR, Dabis E, et al. Surgical versus conservative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2016;6(12):e012938. Published 2016 Dec 21. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012938
• 5.Machado GC, Witzleb AJ, Fritsch C, Maher CG, Ferreira PH, Ferreira ML. Patients with sciatica still experience pain and disability 5 years after surgery: A systematic review with meta-analysis of cohort studies. European Journal of Pain. 2016;20(10):1700-1709. doi:10.1002/ejp.893

Choosing whether or not to have spine surgery is a personal decision, but there are steps you can take to make sure you are making the right choice.

Learn what the development and adoption of new spine surgery technologies techniques means for you as a patient.

References

• 1.Vaishnav AS, Othman YA, Virk SS, Gang CH, Qureshi SA. Current state of minimally invasive spine surgery. J Spine Surg. 2019;5(Suppl 1):S2–S10. doi:10.21037/jss.2019.05.02
• 2.Snyder LA, O'Toole J, Eichholz KM, Perez-Cruet MJ, Fessler R. The technological development of minimally invasive spine surgery. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:293582. doi:10.1155/2014/293582
• 3.Menger RP, Savardekar AR, Farokhi F, Sin A. A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Integration of Robotic Spine Technology in Spine Surgery. Neurospine. 2018;15(3):216–224. doi:10.14245/ns.1836082.041
• 4.Zhu Y, Fang J, Xu G, Ye X, Zhang Y. A hybrid technique for treating multilevel cervical myelopathy: Cervical artificial disc replacement combined with fusion. Oncol Lett. 2019;17(1):360–364. doi:10.3892/ol.2018.9573
• 5.Davis RJ, Nunley PD, Kim KD, et al. Two-level total disc replacement with Mobi-C cervical artificial disc versus anterior discectomy and fusion: a prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter clinical trial with 4-year follow-up results. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. 2015;22(1):15-25. doi:10.3171/2014.7.spine13953

Learn some useful pointers on the overall success of surgeries for sciatica based on medical research from surgical trials.

References

• 1.Jacobs WC, van Tulder M, Arts M, et al. Surgery versus conservative management of sciatica due to a lumbar herniated disc: a systematic review. Eur Spine J. 2011;20(4):513–522. doi:10.1007/s00586-010-1603-7
• 2.Fernandez M, Ferreira ML, Refshauge KM, et al. Surgery or physical activity in the management of sciatica: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Spine Journal. 2015;25(11):3495-3512. doi:10.1007/s00586-015-4148-y
• 3.Sedighi M, Haghnegahdar A. Lumbar disk herniation surgery: outcome and predictors. Global Spine J. 2014;4(4):233–244. doi:10.1055/s-0034-1390010
• 4.Kumar, M. Epidemiology, pathophysiology and symptomatic treatment of sciatica: A review. nt. J. Pharm. Bio. Arch. 2011, 2.
• 5.Gugliotta M, da Costa BR, Dabis E, et al. Surgical versus conservative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2016;6(12):e012938. Published 2016 Dec 21. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012938
• 6.Lucas AJ. Failed back surgery syndrome: whose failure? Time to discard a redundant term. Br J Pain. 2012;6(4):162–165. doi:10.1177/2049463712466517

Pain from degenerative disc disease can be debilitating, but you have options. Exercise, over-the-counter pain medications, lifestyle changes, and surgery are all valid ways to control degenerative disc disease pain.

References

• 1.Minori J, Wieseltier E, Lie-Nemeth, T. Pain in the orthopedic rehabilitation patient. In: Carayannopoulos A, Comprehensive Pain Management in the Rehabilitation Patient. Springer International Publishing; 2017:69.
• 2.Haider NR, Skiechs J. Carayannopoulos A. Pain in the spine rehabilitation patient. In: Carayannopoulos A, Comprehensive Pain Management in the Rehabilitation Patient. Springer International Publishing; 2017:119.
• 3.Gordon R, Bloxham S. A systematic review of the effects of exercise and physical activity on non-specific chronic low back pain. Healthcare (Basel). 2016; 4(2):22.
• 4.Mulcahy AE. Carayannopoulos A. Manual therapy and pain in the rehabilitation patient. In: Carayannopoulos A, Comprehensive Pain Management in the Rehabilitation Patient. Springer International Publishing; 2017:319.

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To help ease the stress that accompanies spine surgery, here’s a detailed checklist of items that will help you considerably during recovery, both in the hospital and at home.

References

• 1.Ljungqvist O, Scott M, Fearon KC. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. JAMA Surgery. 2017;152(3):292. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28097305

Finding the right surgeon to perform your spine surgery is critical. Here are 3 tips for asking the right questions and doing your homework before choosing a surgeon.

About to undergo surgery? With a little planning, you can make the most of your recovery period. To help get you started, here is a list of ideas from our forums and social media.

References

• 1.Juzeniene A, Moan J. Beneficial effects of UV radiation other than via vitamin D production. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012; 4(2):109-17. doi: 10.4161/derm.20013
• 2.Klein K, Boals A Expressive writing can increase working memory capacity. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2001; 130(2): 520-33.
• 3.Langens TA, Schuler J. Effects of written emotional expression: the role of positive expectancies. Health Psychol. 2007; 26(2): 174-82.